Hardware Startups - Discussion Pannel

Wireless connectivity of various types can now be taken for granted. It's getting more straightforward to get things manufactured. Arduinos, 3D printing, laser cutters, and more accessible CNC milling are making hardware easier to prototype as customers increasingly buy online. Find out the new challenges faced by hardware warriors in this panel. Moderation by José Manuel dos Santos

About the speakers

Linda Franco, entrepreneurial tech-fashionista, started out studying marketing and strategic design at Centro University in Mexico City. Shortly after, she co-founded The Gyzu Experiement, a web design and development firm, and alongside this she set up the Plan de Escape prison project which taught male inmates the ins and outs of fashion and trends with the end goal of creating their own fashion label.

As for her current projects at Machina Wearable Technology, Linda and her team are taking the industry to the next level with the idea of open source in wearable tech. She is on a cutting edge when it comes to creating interactive wearable tech design that can be worn by anyone, in consideration with its aesthetics and functionality.

Daniel Mota Veiga is an Industrial Designer and Entrepreneur from Portugal with a degree in Industrial Design from Universidade Lusiada de Lisboa, a Masters in Interaction Design from Instituto Europeo di Design in Torino and has continued his studies into Branding at Kellogg – Northwestern University in the US.

Starting in 1994, Daniel has held positions with many reputable companies including Fiat Auto, Pininfarina, Sprint/Nextel and Motorola. He’s been successful in influencing the culture and practices of Design within interdisciplinary groups and as a passionate ambassador for Brand and Design.

Daniel has been fully immersed in numerous cultures and established successful synergies between multi-cultural teams across the globe having lived and worked in ten different cities and in six countries.

Currently, Daniel works with the San Diego Design studio Intersection Inc. leveraging Design as one of the core foundations for innovation and commercial success. He is also a co-founder of Genneo, Inc., designing breakthrough products for portable energy harvesting.

As a Designer, Daniel believes in always maintaining a healthy respect for consumers. They are, in the end, the ones we seek to satisfy and delight.

Hahna is the CTO and co-founder of SolePower, a startup in Pittsburgh, PA developing a power-generating shoe insole for charging cell phones and other portable electronics just by walking. The company was started while Hahna and her co-founder were undergraduates in the mechanical engineering department at Carnegie Mellon University.

In less than a year, SolePower has placed in numerous competitions, developed an alpha and beta prototype, secured seed round investment, and was successfully funded on Kickstarter. Hahna is currently leading product development, and is working to bring the technology to people without reliable access to power in developing nations. Prior to SolePower, Hahna worked for NASA and SpaceX and researched at the Planetary Robotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon.